run2eat

Beyond Bread (aka Transylvanian Bakery) on W4th, near Alma makes delicious slow risen, hearty, substantial breads. No longer wood fired as they were at their previous location but their peasant loaf is still my favourite bread in Vancouver A similar style bakery, Romania Bakery can be found in Steveston. They do have a wood burning oven I think. Also look out for Whistler's Purebread at the farmers markets ( - interesting variety of artisanal breads (I love their honey-lavender bread). Find their schedule here: http://www.purebread.ca/#!markets

I don't find so, no (we manage to eat waaaaayyyy to much butter just fine ). With a stick, I just slice a pat off the end, or dig a bit out from a random piece in there.

I love my butter dish. It's insulated stainless steel and accommodates a full 1 lb block of butter (though I put the 250 g sticks in, or a slice from a bigger block). This is the closest image I could find. Might even be the same one. http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/insulated-butter-dish-5 At average 18-22 C kitchen temp, the butter stays spreadable but firm at room temp. Flavour stays fresh w/o rancidity in the time we use it up (a stick per week perhaps?).

I bought a ~6 lb impeccably fresh, line caught, dressed sockeye from Organic Ocean at the False Creek fisherman's dock for $25 (bigger fish were $30). Grilled it last night, some leftovers went into a risotto (with broth made from head and trimmings) tonight and have plenty more to use up the next couple of days. Not sure if they'll be selling every day but Fri-Sat-Sun mornings after 10 are a good bet. They sell at Steveston too but False Creek's the better location to get them. Follow their tweets for updates http://twitter.com/organicocean

The UBC farm still hosts cheesemaking workshops from time to time. Notices of upcoming workshops are via their email list. You can subscribe here: http://www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/get_involved.php (click the 'sign me up' button) They book up very quickly.

Thanks for the tip Kentan! I pass by there almost daily and have been curious about it. Will check it out soon - it sounds lovely.

Yep, I procrastibaked a few loaves of bread when I should have been working on assignments or studying for exams in a recent programming course. Kneading dough is a wonderful antidote to sitting at a computer all day.

I got mine from the bakery counter at Capers (they'll just cut a chunk off of their supply and sell it to you) - a big block is about $5.

I came across these folks when looking into getting a Japanese knife: http://santoku-office.com/index.php?Service

Thomas Haas in Kits is now open ..... and is dangerously convenient

Oh happy day! Jackson's on 4th is now open!! Not sure when they opened - I think I overheard it was yesterday. As a customer-appreciation gesture, they're offering a 20% discount off all purchases this weekend only, and are open tomorrow.

Not eating out as much these days but recent meals have been: Au Petit Chauvignol With Riesling at 25% off we indulged in some fine Kabinett with a grand platter, followed by raclette. Can't fault the food - superb selection of cheeses and meats, and duck rillettes to swoon over, but the music was too darn loud - they need to tone that down a bit so we can chat comfortably. Irish Heather's long table "Chicken Little" dinner That was no small chicken there. A heartily sized 1/2 cornish hen, really good coleslaw and decent hand-cut fries. Top it off with a pint of R&B pale (though I prefer the cask version), twas a superb deal and convivial atmosphere. West We were celebrating a special event - and what a meal. This was our first meal there in ages, and we were very, very pleased with every aspect of our dinner.

How about the Blue Water Cafe for its sushi and raw bar? http://www.bluewatercafe.net/ You can take a water taxi from G.I. to Yaletown http://www.theaquabus.com/routesandfares.htm then it's a short stroll up Hamilton to the restaurant. eta: I see it's mentioned above too - I'm seconding that :-)

Sniff. I loved that place. ← Oh no! That's terribly sad news Chow was a big favourite of ours. Sigh. We've been travelling and had been looking forward to getting back there once we're settled back in town.

I think I spotted vanilla beans at Costco last time I was there - biggish pack. Don't remember how much though.